There is little progress in assuring gender
equality and the empowerment of women in Ethiopia. Death at child birth is
still one of the highest in the world, harmful practices (forced early
marriages, FGM…) continue and the trafficking of young girls and women to the
Middle East to be modern slaves is thriving.
Most women live in rural areas, deprived of
education, proper health care and the chance to make decisive decisions on
issues that affect their lives. Domestic violence and rape cases have not
decreased. One UN report stated that Ethiopia is one of the worst places on
earth to be born a girl. The report added:
“Girls lack access to education and the
country suffers from one of the highest maternal mortality rates anywhere –
where 850 mothers for every 100,000 die giving birth.
Only six out of 10 can read and write while
less than six percent would have any skilled help during birth.
Ethiopia also has one of the highest
numbers of children under 14 infected with the HIV/AIDS virus at 230,000 – half of which
are girls - and increasing by 80,000 a
year.”
The sale of children—mostly girls- under
the cover of adoption rakes in millions of dollars to the regime that controls
the market. Gender equality remains a pipedream, the claims of progress in the
field are but hallow. Repression against women dissenters has increased, journalist
Reeyot Alemu is an example of railroaded and jailed women under the convenient
anti-terror law that makes all dissent illegal and treasonous. Ethiopian women
do not even have their own autonomous civic organization and the removal of
laws that are against the rights of women is constantly postponed.
March 8 in Ethiopia is an opportune time to
call for international support for the struggle of women to gain their rights and
to live as equals to men in a democratic
country.
By SOCEPP
SOCEPP, 30 RIGA COVE,
WINNIPEG,
MB R2P 2Z7,CANADA
E MAIL: SOCEPP @AOL.COM
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